Sunday, January 08, 2012

Tonights viewing was PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945). Directed by Albert Lewin who I think did some really interesting films especially PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN. This version of the classic Oscar WIlde story is my favourite on film that I've seen. George Sanders is terrific as always. I'm halfway through a Aubrey Beardsley biography so I had a hankering to rewatch it.

I just saw "THE MOON AND SIXPENCE" for the first time recently on TCM, thought it was great and again Sanders was fantastic."PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN" I thought just had some stunning visuals and a great story. I noticed there was bio on him that I'd like to get but its out of print and pricy unfortunately. Thanks for stopping by Jon. I've seen a couple of others but those 3 are my favourite so far and always worth re-visiting.

Lewin was a very literate, as opposed to dramatic director and I think it shows in how Sixpence was staged. He also consistently filmed a portion of a movie in color (in the case of showing paintings) while the rest of the movie remained in B&W. I never read why or to what purpose. It works in Sixpence as a subjective depiction of the painter's POV but It doesn't mean much in Bel Ami, his adaptation of a Guy DeMaupassant novel. If you haven't seen that, it is on Netflix. Pandora is another story entirely. Someone recently told me it (Pandora) was his idea of a truly surreal movie (as opposed to determinedly surreal like in Spellbound or Lady in Distress.

I haven't watched Bel Ami but I feel I have it somewhere from recent.. have to look.The colour in the paintings in the black and white movies is jarring and I'd say work to that.. both seeing Dorian beautiful then corrupted (plus Albrights painting is great).I find it does heighten those extremes but it as odd choice.. I guess I would say it works because there is something supernatural/otherworldly in the painting going on in the painting. I remember being just as surprised when you see the painting at the end and its black an white which I'm going to say the spell is broken. I was surprised seeing it in Sixpence too. In that way I'd say it Pandora works quite well as a surreal movie cause the cause the colour heightens the surpernaturalness and its a mood that is sustained as opposed to ..here's the surreal part. There are lots of shots throughout that look that could shot by Man Ray. I think thats why I was so surprised when I saw it and couldn't believe it wasn't talked about more( at least with what I knew) because it was such a sustained mood. And had some great, powerful lines.